Photoluminescence: A Tool for Investigating Optical, Electronic, and Structural Properties of Semiconductors

Theoretical basis and typical experimental set-ups of photoluminescence, PL, are briefly described. The investigation by PL of some of the fundamental properties of compound semiconductors and alloys  e.g., optical gap, type and density of shallow impurities, effects of structural disorder in alloys and at heterostructure interfaces, carrier effective masses  is illustrated. The effects on PL spectra of magnetic fields are discussed, together with the validity limits of perturbation and numerical models for different ratios of magnetic and excitonic energies.